Southlake police release photos of suspect vehicle in fatal shooting

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Souhtlake DPS

Southlake police on Thursday released two images captured by surveillance cameras of the vehicle believed to have been used in brazen daylight execution of a man who was sitting in his vehicle at the upscale Southlake Town Square shopping center.

SOUTHLAKE — The 43-year-old man who was gunned down in an apparent targeted assassination in Southlake Town Square was a married father of three teenagers who is believed to have practiced law in Mexico, the town police chief said today.

Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa was shopping with his wife Wednesday evening in the hour before he was shot numerous times while sitting in the front passenger seat of his car.

Police Chief Steve Mylett said during a news conference that he could not confirm media reports that Chapa has worked for a Mexican drug cartel.

"I have not been able to confirm it through the federal sources that we have, and I’m not in position to make any formal statement on that," Mylett said.

The targeted shooting took just seconds, the chief said.

Chapa’s wife was loading packages into the rear driver’s side seat of their car about 6:45 p.m. when a man exited a rear door of another vehicle and shot Chapa. The gunman got back in the vehicle, and the driver fled the scene. Shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday, Southlake police released two still images of the gunman’s vehicle, which was described as a white sport utility vehicle with champagne-colored trim at the bottom. The first three letters of the license plate may be "BHY," police said.

The slaying was captured on security video, but Mylett said the footage will not be released. Nine shell casings were found at the scene, though it’s unclear how many times Chapa was hit. He died at Baylor Medical Center Grapevine.

“Obviously the nature of this homicide, the way that it was carried out indicates an organization that is trained to do this type of activity,” Mylett said. “When you’re dealing with individuals that operate on such a professional level, certainly caution forces me to have to lean towards that this is an organized criminal act.”

The chief said Chapa’s wife is under round-the-clock protection, which will continue indefinitely. The couple’s three children are in their teens, he said.

“I do not believe there is any further threat to our community,” the chief said.

Murders are extremely rare in Southlake, where the last homicide was reported in 1999.

“This could have happened in any community anywhere in Texas or anywhere else,” the chief said. “This will continue to be a safe community and we will do everything in our power to make sure that we bring those responsible to justice.

Mylett said he has asked for assistance from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. Anyone with information should contact Southlake Police Det. Karl Moore with the at 817-748-8127.

Twenty or so cars were in an area cordoned off by police tape at the Town Square, an indication of how crowded the shopping area was at the time.

Brianna Norwood, 17, whose car was among those sealed off, said that her vehicle was parked next to the victim’s and that she and her two friends had dropped off shopping bags in the car less than a minute before shots rang out.

Norwood said her group was walking to the Mi Cocina restaurant and didn’t see the shooting. At first, she said, they didn’t believe what they heard were gunshots.

“I haven’t ever been near anything like that in my life, so it was unusual,” Norwood said. She noted that children nearby witnessed the incident.

She said she thanked God that her group had decided to grab dinner instead of packing into the car.

Tom Fogarty, a former resident who was visiting from Boston with family members, said he was shocked when he heard the gunshots. He said they didn’t “sound like they do on TV.”

Shootings like Wednesday’s don’t happen in Southlake, he said.

“To come here and do this in broad daylight in front of people and children, it just had to be someone making a statement,” he said.

Southlake resident Jacob Gullion said he saw the victim’s car riddled with bullet holes. “This is freakin’ in our own back yard,” he said in disbelief.

The slaying is the first in years for the affluent suburb, which is in northeast Tarrant County and southern Denton County. In a recent Dallas Morning News review of North Texas’ top suburban neighborhoods, Southlake was ranked No. 1. Among the criteria considered was safety from crime. The city’s median home value is close to a half-million dollars.

City Council member Carolyn Morris was on the scene Wednesday night. Southlake “is a family place, a safe place,” she said.

“We still feel very safe,” said council member Pam Muller, who was also at the square.

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